STA Blog

Week 1/10 – 1/12

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I just about finished my first week of the new spring semester! Wow, time flies!

As this week was primarily focused on adjusting and adapting to new changes, I also gained some new responsibilities. From now on I will be directing and helping to organize my fellow peers in the UT French Course project. Overall, I’m excited about this opportunity and my duties as an STA.

Apart from that, all I’ve been working on for this week is editing a Knowledge Base Site tutorial with outdated images. It’s quite fun considering it’s a training module I haven’t done yet but I get to find and create images based on patterns and shapes. Like here:

Week 12

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Week 12

First week for Spring Semester 2023 :). So excited!!!

I’m setting up everything for the new semester and doing some correction tasks. I also decorated the white board with all STA schedules on it under the theme of “growth”. I put it in the context of garden and draw the vein as the broader and butterflies as the representation of us. I helped to recolor the CCI logo from Maroon to UT blue #005f86. Marianne updated the website with the new blue logo and changed the color palette for that site.

  

 

PSY365D’s new course button:

          

Changing the number into Roman numeral in the following file: (1) a title card; 2) a vertically oriented digital asset for in-studio use; 3)  a banner for the Canvas homepage. I’m aware of how important it is to keep editable file in the shareable box file so now I can edit on it : 3

 

Project: Intro to Typography

Start: Jan 11th 2023

To be Completed: Jan 11th 2023

I have learned a lot in this typography intro training. I’m able to label each part of a letter and identify them due to distinct parts and aware of details and differences between each typeface. For example, I used to recognize all extensions at the end of a letter as brackets. However, there is actually an unbracketed serif since there is no curve or tapered block but only with a line extended. Typography is the visual component of written words so it has the magic to convey feeling and make the design memorable. I’ll be more careful with the font choice by noticing the details involved to match the most suitable one with the content.

I also find two font pairing that looks amazing for me.

  • The first font sharing I’d like to share is DM serif display and DM sans. The typefaces belong to two categories: display and sans serif. The display typefaces contain brackets and designed to be bold and decorative. The sans serifs is clean and modern, have strong readability. Although they feature at different style, they have similar kerning and relatively same proportion on X height and Type Size, making them matching. It can to be used as any formal expression of documents with the feeling of modernity.

  • The second example comes from a branding project. This brand emphasize on the utilization of typography without any use of image or illustration. The choice of two typography (display for title and sans serif for content) both showcase the feeling of elegant through the thin stroke. The extended vertical space of character in the content is clean and readable but still stylized. 

 

Week LVI

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Weeks LIV-LVII

Oops, it’s been a little bit. I started drafting this blog post over winter break, and left it unfinished, so consider it my winter break summary.

GOV 312L US National Security

For the final version of this, we ended up with a purpleish-grey. The studio backdrop is actually sepia, but it shows up as purple-grey, and the rest of the graphics are sampled from that.

Texas Legislative Internship Seminar Asset Updates

This was just updating the dates for event promotional material. Some of the PSDs were missing, so I had to recreate them.

TGDP Banner 4

Finally working on number 4 – this is how the current draft is looking, awaiting feedback. The info is simple enough to lay out, 2 sections of text with a brief intro.

Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies banner

I get no credit for the circle logo, I believe that was Sheryl? But the department wanted an updated banner incorporating it, so this is what I’ve got for that. We’re leaning more on the bolder text. As of writing, I was just having fun exporting 16 different formats.

AFR 320

This course had pre-existing slideshows with black Arial on white, and wanted light on dark. I ended up going with a warm sepia-grey and an off-white, for the vintage look. Originally I wanted a slab serif font too, but that was too ambitious. I still learned quite a bit about Texas history from skimming these slides as I worked.

 

First Blog Post :-)

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Hi Daniela! 🙂 Welcome to the STA Blog! This the page where your blog posts will published.
Toward the end of your STA Orientation, you’ll design and upload a banner to go at the top of this page.

Upload a Blog Banner

Step One: Design Your Banner in Photoshop

Use these Photoshop specs when you’re making your banner:

  • Your banner should be 780 pixels wide (the height doesn’t matter)
    • Must include your name, your major, and your expected graduation year
    • Your banner should reflect who you are (your personality, interests or major)
    • Make sure to save your banner for the web (i.e. File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy))
    • If you save your banner as a JPG, make sure sure the quality is high (i.e. at least 60)

Step Two: Save Your Banner

  • There are two places you can save your completed projects: UT Box and the LAITS server. You’ll be given a personal folder in both locations. For now, you only have to save your banner to UT Box, but you may have to access the server at some point in the future.

Accessing UT Box

Accessing the LAITS server

  • Accessing the LAITS server from off-campus is slightly more complicated.
    • You’ll need to be registered with Duo if you aren’t already (you can register here).
    • Then you’ll need to connect to the UT VPN and the LAITS server. The videos below will walk you through how to do that:
    •  Then navigate to your STA volume folder and save
      • smb://file.laits.utexas.edu/sta/Adrian McKee
    • Save your banner both as an image and an unmerged PSD

Step Three: Upload Your Banner to the STA Blog

  • Log in the the STA Blog here.  You should’ve received an email confirming your new WordPress account with your username and assigned password. If didn’t get it or you can’t log in, ask Suloni or another STA.
  • You’ll be able to change your password anytime by going to Users > Your Profile > Account Management > New Password.

Uploading media and banners in WP

  • Read these links before you upload your banner.
  • They will walk you through how to upload media to your blog.

How to Upload a Homepage Banner

Adding New Posts and Media

See You Later

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See You Later

Wow! I can’t believe I am leaving such an amazing team!! This semester went by way too fast and I’m going to miss every single one of y’all!!

Even though I am leaving, I don’t want to say goodbye because I feel like our paths might cross again in the future. I’m sad to be leaving but I have grown so much from working for LAITS for the past 2 years and I’m truly blessed to call myself a design STA. When I first started this job, I was filled with ambition and dedication but very little technical skills. But Valerie, Maddy, and Suloni believed in me and saw the potential I had to grow into a level 4 STA. I cherish all the projects I got to work on and all the AMAZING designers I got to meet. Y’all are superstars and I saw that when y’all created those beautiful posters. I couldn’t be prouder and I’m so thankful I got to see it.

Rules for Success

  1. Always be true to yourself! Embrace your unique qualities and never stop shining!
  2. See the potential in yourself! Don’t be afraid to try new things!
  3. Use college as a learning opportunity. Learn about yourself and others.
  4. “Can’t” is your motivation. If you don’t achieve something at the beginning but you are truly passionate about it, keep trying!! See failure as an opportunity to grow.

Letters:

 

Adrian:

You are a powerhouse! From creating a new intake system for Photo IDs to creating so many visually appealing course graphics! You always take a fun and unique approach to your creations that I know all the clients love. I also love how knowledgable you are on so many animal creatures. I know you are going to do amazing things and you are going to lead your fellow STAs well.

 

Thang:

Wow!! I am always so speechless after your present in our weekly check-in meetings. You are sooooooo passionate about learning new things and the way you share that information to your peers is amazing! You are such a great web developer and presenter. I also know you want to start designing as well and I have full confidence you can. By knowing how to develop an easily accessible website, you will be unstoppable when you began adding design elements.

 

Carrie:

Your attention to detail and design is amazing!! When you created the design STA poster I was shocked at how fast you were able to create such a beautiful design that captured our team so well! You also create such amazing website designs that are thought out and really capture what the client wants. Continue being amazing and creating beautiful work!

 

Lorena:

Wow! For the past couple of months your designs have grown so much. I appreciate your attention to details and unique style. You are such as sweet person and I absolutely loved working with you. Continue asking questions and learning new ways to create effective designs.

 

Marissa:

Your illustrations are soooo beautiful! I absolutely loved seeing your voting illustrations! I love how passionate you are for design and I see you doing big things in the future. Don’t be afraid to explore new approaches and gain as much knowledge from your fellow designer and managers.

 

Luisa:

First, you have such an amazing style!! I love your leather coat and boats that you wear!! Absolutely beautiful!! You are so kind and caring to everyone you meet. You are also an amazing designer!! From the postcards to the brochure, I’m blown away with your attention to detail to create such amazing physical designs.

 

Leilani:

Wow!!! You have grown so much from when you first started as an STA! You are such a strong leader and have so many great ideas for art direction. I know you are going to do amazing things for the STA team! You are going to manage the the UTFC project and find new approaches I couldn’t think of. You are so smart and talented!! Also, I hope your online print business is extremely successful! Your artwork is so beautiful and I know everyone will enjoy it.

 

Valerie:

You are such an amazing manager. You create such as welcoming and inviting environment for all the designers. I love how you play lo-fi and engage in fun conversations with everyone. Thank you for having the confidence on me to take on the UTFC project and help the STAs in anyway possible. I know that the Design team will continue to reach new goals because your passion for this team really shines!!! Thank you for being you!! Also, please start making art again!! You are such as talented illustrator and the world deserve to see your work!!

 

Maddy:

First, the mural is going to be sooo beautiful! I think it will truly create a peaceful environment for the designers to create freely. You are such an amazing art director and I love how you encourage the designers to go for new unique approaches to their projects. You inspired me so much with your leadership style and your dedication to the team. Thank you so much for encouraging me to take new risks with my animations and allowing my to take the lead on the STA posters. I’m truly thankful to have had a manager like you in my work career!!

 

Suloni:

Thank you for everything!! You have created such as strong foundation for the design STAs and I’m truly blessed that I was a part of it. Your wisdom and encouragement is so beautiful and the love you have for all the STAs shows. I know the design team will continue to be strong because they had you!! I hope you have a fun, relaxing, and adventurous retirement. You absolutely deserve it. Thank you for sharing a piece of you with your beautiful presentation of your work. I don’t know if I would have believed in myself to take on art direction without you putting me in those roles and believing in my abilities. I honestly can’t thank you enough.

 

New Beginnings

Y’all keep being amazing and creating wonderful designs that will be showcased all throughout UT. I’m so happy that I was a part of this team and always remember, y’all are LOVED <3

 

UTFC Management Document

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UTFC Management Document

Since I will be leaving, I will be passing the UTFC project to the next STA. Currently, I am creating a document about the management process of handling this project.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15lGx-MDFZWekSOTLenQ-n00kwL_m6_wH0cAu-MeMp10/edit?usp=sharing